


Moonlight

by Serpex



Category: Inazuma Eleven
Genre: Actual Bear Daddy, Child Abuse, M/M, Neko Burn, Neko Gazel, Psychological Trauma, mentioned rape
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-18
Updated: 2016-12-17
Packaged: 2018-09-09 09:50:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8886256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Serpex/pseuds/Serpex
Summary: Burn and Gazelle are camping out on Hitomiko's orders. One week is the set date before Hitomiko comes to pick them up. Despite their rivalry and differences, they each know that neither one of them will make it through the night unless they work together, but can they become more? More than rivals, friends, even closer than that?





	1. Camping

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was from 2014 so similar to A Tiger's Embrace or A Dragon's Flame, there's some poor writing skills at play that I'm not going back to. But this is kind of a deeper story than that. There are mentions of rape, child abuse, and the works in the later chapters so be warned as you progress through the story. With that aside, I hope you enjoy ^^

Burn's POV:

"Never! I will never go camping with that bitch of a guy!" I yelled at Gran's face. He flinched and blinked.

"Aw, come on, Burn, or should I say, Nagumo..."

"Don't you dare me that, Gran!" Gran grinned stupidly and walked away. Suddenly, I felt a cold breeze on my shoulder. I jumped around to meet the last person I wanted to see.

"So, what was Gran saying? I couldn't help but overhear," Gazelle said, his cool smile on his face as always. I scoffed and glared at him.

"Tch, Gran just said we should go camping together. Something about "bonding" or something like that," I answered. Gazelle stared at me before breaking into laughter.

"Nani??!! You got to be kidding me! Camping with you? What stupid idea is that?" he shouted.

"One that doesn't seem to bad," a voice said. Gazelle froze and we both looked to the doorway. Hitomiko was standing there with her arms crossed, a rather grim smile on her face. "It would be good for both of you," she said.

"Hitomiko! You can't do this to me! Suzuno is the worst person I know! I'm never going camping with him! _Ever!_ " I shouted at her. Hitomiko raised an eye-brow.

"Ha, all the more better then. Might be good for you, Nagumo. Could cool down your attitude with Suzuno's influence. Get ready. We'll leave in a bit," Hitomiko said. I fell to my knees and muttered some words, not daring to look up. Moments later, Hitomiko left.

Gazelle's POV:

What did I get myself into? A camping trip with Burn?! I'll never survive! Burn's the most exciting, hot-headed, vacuous person I know! How can I survive??? As thoughts flew through my head, I heard a thump and saw Burn on the ground. I looked at him. He actually looked miserable.

"Are you really going through with this?" I asked. He stood up, and looked at me. I flinched. His eyes were full of something I couldn't describe. Was it fear? He didn't answer. Instead, he went to his room. Once he left, I walked up to Gran who was watching TV casually on the couch.

"Hiroto! Why did you do that?!" I shouted. He looked at me and smiled.

"Possibly because it will let me become achieve Genesis?" he said. I balled my hand into a fist. I gritted my teeth and glared at him. "So, Gazelle, think you can handle it, or is it too much to bare, spending time with Burn?" he teased.

"Fine! I'll show you, Gran! I can handle Burn anytime. I'll show you. Once this is over, I'll be the one to achieve Genesis! Diamond Dust will be victorious!" Despite my words, I wasn't sure if they were true. I stomped away to my room. I shut the door behind me and face-planted onto my bed.

_What happens now?_ I wondered. I laid there for a while, not moving and barely breathing. Suddenly, I heard a knock on the door. I sighed and told the person to come in. Suddenly, I felt a warm breath on my neck, sending shivers down my spine. It was almost...Pleasant.

"Like it?" a voice said. I flinched and jumped full on my bed, turning mid-air. I was shocked to see Burn with a smug expression on his face. I growled.

"What do you want?" I scowled. He backed off and put his hands up in surrender.

"Hey, don't get to angry, Gazelle. I just wanted to ask you something," he said. Suddenly, his voice got softer and his face became more... Afraid. He looked scared. "Gazelle, i-if we go camping, I need your help." I flinched. Burn was asking _me_ for help? "I know this isn't like me, but I've never gone camping before, a-and I was wondering..."

"If I could help you pack," I finished. He nodded slowly. His face was all flushed and he was looking at the floor. I sighed. "Fine, I'll help, but I need to pack mine too." He jumped for joy and almost hit my ceiling. I yelled at him to get out, and he dashed back to his room which just happened to by directly across the hall.

I got up and slammed my door shut. Can't believe I'm doing this for him. I took some paper and wrote some stuff that Burn would need. When I was finished, I took it to Burn. I handed him the paper and left to pack my own bags. When we both finished, Hitomiko called us down to leave to the campsite. I dreaded at the feeling. Burn was snoring the whole trip. I was about to punch that guy's jaw so he could never look so handsome ever again! Wait, did I just say handsome...

Burn's POV:

Goddamn! I'm so nervous right now! I've never been camping before. I know I need Gazelle's help, but it was embarrassing. I mean, we've been rivals since we met. We fought over everything and anything. Neither one of us wanted to be outsmarted by the rest. I sighed, too much thinking for one day. I dozed off in the car ride.

When we arrived, Hitomiko helped us unload our belongings. She got us settled, and then left. We waved goodbye until her car drove out of sight. I looked down at the ground and flinched. My legs were shaking. I looked around. Trees, bushes, sky, sounds of a nearby river, and open space. The space was so... Empty. It was almost terrifying.

Suddenly, I heard rustling. I looked over at Gazelle and saw him putting up a tent. He seemed to be having trouble.

"Aren't you going to help me?" he asked, startling me.

"Y-yeah," I said as I bounded over. Following his careful instructions, we finally put up our large tent. I suddenly realized we would be sleeping together. I dreaded at the thought. I walked outside and got some fresh air. Gazelle was unpacking things. I looked at him and he didn't seem to notice. I tilted my head. I never noticed it before, but he seemed a lot calmer. He wasn't yelling at me like I thought he would.

"Hey, Gazelle," I said. He looked up.

"What?"

"Um... Since we're going to be out here for a week, d-do you wanna explore the place a bit?" I asked nervously. He looked at me and nodded.

"I suppose we should get a layout of the land. It would help if I could find some edible plants or some place where fish gather. I need to find a stick too. I have a knife but it won't help _catch_ the fish," he said. We grabbed necessary things like a compass, and a map. Gazelle took his knife and I my binoculars. We headed east from our camp and attempted to find the river.

I've never been camping before, and I swear, I probably looked like a fool in front of Gazelle, jumping at everything, but he didn't care. It didn't seem like him. We soon found the river. Gazelle continued to find a good place to fish. He soon found an edge near the water that was sturdy, and shallow enough to get fish. He even spotted a few trout. I tried to look for them, but all I saw was water. Gazelle sighed at my stupidity and started heading back to the camp. I followed him, and along the way, he found a stick large enough to support weight of his rope, hook, and fish.

"Judging from those fish I saw earlier, I'd say they were maybe three pounds at most," he said. I shrugged since I didn't have a clue. We spent the rest of the evening relaxing and working on fishing rods. Gazelle even showed me how to fish. It was pretty cool, and I wanted to try the real thing. But, I realized that maybe, Gazelle wasn't so bad. We went to sleep, each of us on opposite ends. But, I shuddered as I lay there. It was odd, not being in the comfort of my bed. I wish I could cuddle with Suzuno... No, Nagumo! Don't think like that! Bad Nagumo!

I sighed and closed my eyes. Despite my rejections, I wanted to hug Suzuno. I was scared of what was out there. I whimpered silently hoping he wouldn't hear. Sure I was older than him, but I wasn't mature. Inside, I'm just a kid at heart. I'm scared out of my mind. I shivered and whimpered silently. But, I froze when I heard those words.

"Nagumo, if you're scared, then come and sleep closer to me."


	2. Fishing

Gazelle's POV:

"Nagumo, if you're scared, then come and sleep closer to me," I said. I can't believe I'm doing this, but his teeth clattering is just annoying me.

"What?" I heard Burn exclaim shakily. I sighed and rolled over to face him. I flinched. His eyes were wide and he was literately shaking. I smiled and laughed.

"You know, you're kind of cute when you're scared. But, seriously, stop. It's annoying and I can't sleep. So, feel free to cuddle up with me if you need too. It's just like when I used to go camping with..." I stopped. I turned to look at the ceiling of the tent. _My father_ , that's what I wanted to say. But the words were caught in my throat. I turned back around to face the wall. I could feel tears welling up in my eyes.

Burn's POV:

"It's just like when I used to go camping with..." Gazelle trailed off. I knew who he wanted to say. I remember when Hitomiko told us about his past once when he was asleep. It made me feel guilty for making fun of him that way. I knew his parents were divorced but I never once thought he would get offended so much back then. I closed my eyes and sighed.

_*flashback*_

_Hitomiko put Gazelle down on the couch. He was fast asleep, peacfully snoring quietly. As Hitomiko got up, she called me over. I reluctantly followed her to the kitchen. She shut the door, so only her and myself could hear. She turned to me and looked me in the eyes. Suddenly, she smacked me!_

_"Argh, why'd you do that?!" I shouted. Damn, that was going to leave a mark. Hitomiko crossed her arms and glared at me._

_"You shouldn't have insulted Suzuno's father like that," she said. I scoffed._

_"What does it matter?" I asked. "I mean, she was just abandoned like us, right?"_

_"No," Hitomiko answered. I froze. Suzuno wasn't abandoned? I looked at Hitomiko._

_"What do you mean?" I asked. Hitomiko sighed and gestured for me to have a seat. I sat down, as did Hitomiko. She pulled out an envelope from her pocket. Inside was what seemed to be a picture. It looked like.... Suzuno and his family. But, he was a lot younger, shorter, and... Cuter._

_"Nagumo, understand, Suzuno's parents didn't leave him here. His parents died an automobile crash. He had no choice," she said. I looked at the photo. I suddenly felt a throbbing pain in my chest. Was it guilt? Hitomiko took the photo back and dismissed me. I slowly walked to the living room of the orphanage. I looked at Suzuno who was now resting. I never knew he had a hard life. His was so different from mine, where I had been abused. My father was a drunk alcoholic and my mother had left out of shame. Suzuno had a family who loved and adored him. But, it was ripped away from him. I suppose, I was jealous of him..._

_*flashback end*_

Suddenly, a loud sound grew out! I screamed.

"Shut up! It's just an owl!" Gazelle said. "You're such a kid." I shivered under my blanket. He was right. I am a kid. I rolled over to Gazelle and suddenly felt safer. I guess he gave me a feeling of... Security. I dozed off to sleep, snoring quietly.

Gazelle's POV:

I woke up early the next morning. I couldn't stand Burn's damn snoring any longer. I walked out of the tent and felt the cool morning breeze on my skin. I sighed. Since I knew Burn wouldn't be up any time soon, I made a fire and cooked up breakfast which was baked-bean soup. Too bad it'll probably be cold by the time Burn wakes up. I snickered at the thought. Once the soup was done, I ate my fill and went on to check the fishing rods. They were decent. Although, Burn's looked like it would break any second. I decided to make a spare, in case it did.

Soon, I had two and a half fishing rods made. I didn't really consider Burn's a complete fishing rod. It seemed pretty bad. Suddenly, I heard a rather loud yawn and then a clatter of metals, and curses.

"Aw shit, Burn's awake," I muttered. He came jumping out of the tent with a metal bear trap stuck to his foot. I facepalmed myself. I walked over and took it off.

"Sheesh, look at all that blood," I exclaimed.

"It's not funny, Gazelle!" Burn shouted. I smacked him on the cheek.

"Don't scream. You'll scare every living thing away," I said. He rubbed his cheek and swore something, but I didn't bother to listen. I took care of his foot and then told him to get his fishing rod and start towards the river. If we could catch something, no, if _Burn_ catches something, I'll be amazed. We walked down to the river, and cast our lines out. Burn was getting impatient, but he didn't seem to complain.

 _How unlike him_ , I thought. About an hour later, I suddenly felt a pull at my line. I yanked up and tried to pull up my rod. But, this damn fish was strong! I pulled, but it pulled harder. Suddenly, I felt a hand grab my shoulder. I turned to face Burn.

"Oi, what're you-"

"Just let me help you, damn it!" he shouted. Burn and I pulled together and fell back. I landed on top of Burn who instinctively kicked my back.

"Ow!" I yelled. I cursed and got up. I shot a glare, and then turned to the fish. I roughly took off the hook not giving a damn about its life. I picked up the rods and walked back to camp, Burn treading along behind me. I sighed and started up another fire. It took a while, but I finally did it. I cooked the fish. Burn didn't really do anything. He seemed to just sit around and roll the ball with his hand, not even bothering to kick it. It was... Strange. I have never seen him act this way. He's just been like that since... Since we started camping together.


	3. A Wish

Burn's POV:

I sat about the camp and just stared. I hoped Gazelle wasn't mad at me. I mean, I kicked him in the spine! Who wouldn't be mad?! We didn't speak to each other much. Even at lunch, we spoke things like the food was good, which I admit, wasn't bad. Although, I don't really like beans much, it tasted okay. The fish was great though! I mean, it's meat! Who doesn't love meat?!

After lunch, Gazelle said he wanted to look for some stuff. I wasn't listening to hear where he was going though. I suddenly realized it. I was alone. I looked around. I suddenly felt smaller. The trees loomed over me. The sky stretched on forever and I felt like an ant. I wanted to move and lay in the tent but my body was frozen. Suddenly, a bush rustled to my right and I flinched.

"G-Gazelle?" I stuttered. The bush rustled again, and I heard a low growl. My eyes widened and fear crept over me. Suddenly, there was a burst of leaves and a large thing came at me! I screamed for all I was worth and fell back. As my vision focused, I froze. Before me faced a large grizzly bear. I leapt to my feet and ran away from the camp. The bear ceased to follow, but then I heard a growl in the distance. I turned only to see the great grizzly speeding towards me on all fours. Fear pushed me to run faster. I started screaming for Gazelle. Suddenly, I tripped and felt the ground pull up to my face. I saw a large shadow and saw the bear rearing to take its next victim, me. I closed my eyes and then darkness fell upon me.

Gazelle's POV:

I walked down the forest "path" if you could call it one. Suddenly, I heard a scream and froze. The only people who were here in the forest were me and... Burn! I ran towards the direction of the scream. Ignoring the feeling of pain rushing to my feet, I rushed through the thickets of trees. Suddenly, I burst into a clearing and gasped. A large male grizzly bear stood above a body. It was Burn!

Without thinking, I jumped on the bear's back and pulled back as hard as I could. The bear let out a cry of agony and whirled around to face me. I felt like yelling at the bear, but it came out like a growl. I sounded like a beast. I couldn't think right now. I could only act. I jumped at the bear, scratching at it. Blood flew in the air. Whether it was my own or the bear's, I wasn't sure. But, at that moment, the bear reared and seemed to retreat. I soon saw a wound on its shoulder. The bear seemed to glance back at me, but its eyes were blood red. It retreated to the depths of the forest.

There aren't any bears like that in this part of the region. Not even one of that type, I thought. My attention turned to Burn. His foot wound from the bear trap had reopened. I sighed and heaved his body over my shoulder. He was out cold. I forgot this was his first camping trip. I supposed he must've been scared silly by that bear, if it was a bear.

I walked back to camp and took care of Burn's wound again. He was breathing normally now, but he didn't wake up. I decided to take the time to ponder things. For one, why was there a bear here? That bear's eyes bothered me too. Those weren't the dark eyes of a grizzly, those were the eyes of a human, or were they? Could that bear be like me? A were-creature? Since Burn was out, I decided it was safe to transform. I'm a werecat, similar to werewolves from the legends.

My tail was black but it turned blue when I was angry. I had black cat ears that do the same as my tail. Looking back at my reflection, I knew I wasn't human. Afterall, it was the reason my parents abandoned me, right? I laughed quietly thinking about it. Suddenly, I sensed a slight change of Burn's breathing and froze.

"Gazelle?" a voice said. I panicked and froze. I didn't want anyone knowing I wasn't human! I quickly transformed back into a full human, but it was too late.

"Y-you have ears! And a tail!" Burn exclaimed.

"No!" I shouted. "You didn't see anything!" I ran out of the tent. I heard Burn shout something but I didn't stay to listen. I could feel tears welling up in my eyes. Burn had seen my secret. I can't stay.

Burn's POV:

I woke with an aching feeling in my head. I saw a black object moving back and forth in front of my face. Was it... A tail? My vision finally cleared and I saw it was Gazelle. It couldn't be... He was a werecat?! Without thinking, I blurted out the first thing in my mind.

"Y-you have ears! And a tail!" I exclaimed.

"No! You didn't see anything!" Gazelle shouted. He raced out of the tent.

"Matte!" I shouted, but he didn't seem to hear. I tried to get up, but then an excruciating pain shot up my leg. I looked down and saw my wound from the trap. Suddenly, it all dawned upon me. The bear had attacked me and Gazelle had saved me. It was his abilities and bravery that saved my ass. I couldn't just stay here, laying in this damn tent. I got up and tried to move. I gasped as the pain increased, but it didn't matter. I need to know if what I saw was real. I need to confirm what I saw. And willing to go such lengths to find it.

It seemed like an eternity had passed. The sun had started setting and night was rising relatively quickly. The pain in my foot and leg was still bothering me, but I needed to find Gazelle. I need him. After a while, the full moon had risen high in the sky. At least three hours had passed. My leg couldn't take much more pain. Suddenly, in the distance, I saw a figure standing by a cliff. I recognized him as Gazelle immediately. Despite my bad leg and foot, I ran.

"Gazelle! Gazelle!" I shouted. The figure turned and those eyes met mine, those icy blue eyes. I smiled. "Ga-" I tripped and fell on my face. I heard a sigh and strong hand pull me up. I looked up to see Gazelle. He seemed agitated but there was a look of thankfulness in his eyes.

"You baka," he said. "What're you doing here with that leg?" I laughed nervously. Gazelle facepalmed. He dragged me over to the cliff. I suddenly felt fear. He wasn't going to throw me off, was he? I felt sweat drip down my face. To my relief, he just set me down on the cliff. Gazelle looked at my leg and sighed.

"You're lucky," he said, but his voice was hoarse. "It's not infected." I narrowed my eyes.

"Yeah," I said quietly.

Gazelle's POV:

I can't believe Burn would be so stupid to look for me, especially after what he saw. Or did he really just come out here for me? Suddenly, my thoughts were interrupted.

"So, you're a werecat," Burn said. My eyes widened as I stared at him.

"Y-you know?" I stuttered. Burn laughed. He turned and looked at me with those ruby eyes.

"Of coarse! Because I'm one too!" he said. Suddenly, black ears and a tail popped out startling me. My own ears and tail popped out in shock. I was speechless. Burn was a werecat. Burn started laughing uncontrollably.

"You should see the look on your face! It's hilarious!" he exclaimed. I shook my head and went back to my cold expression. He sighed. "And it left as quick as it came." Burn laid down and looked at the stars. I laid down next to him. The stars twinkled in the sky. Suddenly, Burn pointed.

"Look, a shooting star!" he shouted. I looked to where he was pointing and there really was a shooting star. I felt a pull at my mouth. I heard a light laugh and turned to Burn. He was looking at me.

"You should smile more," he said. "It makes you look cute." I felt heat rise to my cheeks. He called me cute. I smiled again. I felt content. I finally could tell my secret to someone, someone who understands. I don't know this warm feeling. Is it love? Maybe. But, he's a guy. How could I? No, it doesn't matter if he's a guy or a girl. I'm going to trust Nagumo on this one. I...I love him.

"Hey, Gazelle, no... Suzuno?" Burn asked.

"Yeah?" I said.

"What did you wish for?" Burn asked. I grinned and look at him.

"You," I said and we kissed.


	4. A Disaster

Burn's POV:

I felt his lips on mine and froze. Then, I melted and kissed back. His warm lips on mine was bliss of heaven. We parted for breath. We stared into each others eyes. Then we looked up and stared at the moon. My first kiss was with a guy, Suzuno. I laughed.

"So," I said. "Guess we're a couple?" Suzuno nodded.

"Yup," he said. "Looks like Gran and Reize won't be the only ones together." We stayed silent for a while. Before we knew it, we had fallen asleep.

_Drip. Drop. Drip. Drop._

I opened one eye. Dark, gray clouds covered the sky.

"Oh shit! Suzuno! Wake up!" I shouted. I shook his body. His eye opened slowly and then closed again.

"Five...More...Minutes..." he muttered.

"GAZEELE! IT'S GONNA RAIN!"

"NANI???" He bolted awake from his dreams and practically clawed at my face and jumped into a tree.

"Ow! I know you're werecat but damn! You instincts are punctual!" I exclaimed while rubbing my face. "Are you like this during a thunder storm?"

"Ack! Don't even mention thunder!" Gazelle squealed. I sighed. Who knew he was so scared, almost like a... A kitten.

Gazelle's POV:

DAMN! DAMN! DAMN! DAMN! I hate storms!

"Get down from there!" Burn shouted. I glared at him.

"No!" I shouted back.

"You'll get soaked!" I thought for a second, sighed, and complied. We ran back to out tent and went to sleep. I didn't care what Burn thought. I was going to sleep hugging him because I HATE THUNDER! But, he didn't seem to care much. I think he probably enjoyed it. So did I... I drifted off into my dreams.

_***_

_The rain pounded onto my coat. The freezing droplets dripped and dropped gently onto the ground. The chain on my neck was almost suffocating. Suddenly, I heard footsteps. I looked up to see my master. He glared down with piercing grim eyes._

_"You damn werecat! All you do eat my food and sleep all day! No work! I think you need a punishment," he said. Those giant hands grabbed me and ripped the chain off my throat. I tried to scream, but I couldn't. I wanted to run away, but my legs were frozen. The man pulled me by the scruff of my neck to the basement of the house. The stagnant air filled my nostrils and I gagged. A sharp pain ripped through my ear._

_"The hell do you think you're doing?!" I looked up fearfully and saw the man glaring at me. The pain was caused by a knife in his other hand. "Don't you dare make a sound! Or you will get worse than a measly cut." I silently nodded. The man pulled me to another room, the same room where my mother died._

_My body was thrown against a wall. The pain jolted through my body like a fire on oil. It was unbearable! The man spoke again, but his voice was deadly._

_"All, I asked for, was a girl! All I wanted, was a NORMAL GIRL! Why didn't you turn out like that?! You're a failure! A fucking failure! Die like your stupid mother! Die!" The silver blade rose into the air! Suddenly, it crashed downwards and -_

_***_

I woke in a cold sweat. Everything was cold. I could see my breath in front of me. Darkness. Darkness everywhere! I looked up and saw silver. My eyes widened, my body froze, I screamed.

Burn's POV:

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

A scream pierced my eyes and I bolted upright. I was startled to see Gazelle in a corner of a=the tent. He had a fearful look in his eyes. I could see red veins in those eyes. His pupils were dilated enough to see his frightened mind. The tender blue eyes were gone. Only black was there.

I reached out to grabbed his shoulder. He flinched and screamed again!

"Get away from me!" he shouted. "Don't get any closer! Don't kill me!" Wait, kill him? Ok, something was SERIOUSLY wrong. I grabbed the emergency phone. It could only be used once. I really hoped somebody would pick up. It rang. Once... Twice...

"Pick up, pick up, pick up," I muttered under my breath. Suddenly, I heard a click in the phone.

"Hello?" said a male voice.

"SaginumaDesarmWhateverListenGazellesgonecrazyandIneedyoutocomehereandpickusupandgethimtoahospit-"

"Wait, slow down. Is that you Burn? How's the camping going?"

"DID YOU NOT HEAR ME?" I shouted. "GAZELLE HAS GONE CRAZY AND I NEED TO GET HIM TO A HOSPITAL!" Suddenly, Gazelle screamed again. I glanced at him and saw his pain. I winced and turned back to the phone. "See?!" I yelled in the phone frantically.

"Holy shiznuts! Just hold on, Burn. Hitomiko is on her way. Just make sure Gazelle doesn't leave the site. We can't lose him!"

"I understand Desarm. But, please hurry! Bye."

"Bye." I hung up and turned to Gazelle. He was curled up into a ball and near tears. I approached him again and he screamed even louder. He more of shrieked. It hurt me to see him in so much pain.

"Please stop," I whispered. "I'm here, Suzuno. It was just nightmare. Please calm down."

Gazelle's POV:

"It was just a nightmare," a voice said. A nightmare. Silver. Knife. A body. Mom...

Burn's POV:

"Make it stop! Stop!" Gazelle yelled. His ears and tail popped out in a frenzy of fear. Suddenly, I heard a siren in the distance. I glanced at Gazelle nervously and stepped out of the tent. A car was rapidly approaching, followed by an ambulance! They parked and immediately went to Gazelle. Suddenly, I heard a death-threatening scream.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!" The men pulled out of the tent dragging Gazelle with them. He was kicking them violently. I winced as one got kicked in the private numerous times. Eventually, the men got Gazelle in the ambulance. They put him to sleep and drove him to a hospital. Hitomiko stepped out from the other car. She walked up to me.

"You alright?" she asked.

"Y-yeah," I stuttered out. In truth, I was scared for Suzuno's life. "Was he always like this?" Hitomiko nodded slowly.

"It's psychological trauma," she said. I looked at her.

"Eh?" I said. She sighed and gestured for me to get in the car. I didn't even notice Desarm pack up all the camping equipment. I got in the backseat of the car. Hitomiko drove us to the hospital. On the way, she explained everything.


	5. Can't

Burn's POV:

"So, what's wrong with Suzuno?" I asked. "You mentioned something about psychological trauma." Hitomiko tightened her grip on the wheel.

"It has something to do with his parents," she said.

"His parents?" I said. "I thought they died from a car accident like you told me."

"That was only the nutshell of the case," Desarm butt in. "Suzuno's parents did die in a car crash, but his mother was already dead before she got in the car." I raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" I asked. Desarm glanced at Hitomiko. She nodded, and he continued.

"Suzuno's parents used to be together. But, they got in a fight and divorced. Suzuno's mother kind of married... A sick guy, to be blunt. He was all lovely-dovely, but he soon started turning on her, and... Suzuno. Chained him up like a dog and used his mother as a "toy" if you know what I mean." I winced as thoughts whizzed through my head, but Desarm just kept talking. "Suzuno's real father by blood heard about the poor treatment of him and his mother. Despite trying not to care, he confronted Suzuno's stepdad. It... Didn't end well. Suzuno's mom was stabbed by his stepdad. She was losing blood fast, so Suzuno's real father tried to save her. He raced down the road trying to get to the hospital, but traffic was rough. In the end... A car crash ensued and Suzuno was the only survivor."

I kept quiet. Really, I couldn't think of anything to say. Suzuno... I suddenly felt a dreadful pang in my chest thinking about this. It made sense though. Suzuno's psychological trauma, it was his stepdad. It had to be. But now... Now, what? What can I do? I'm no doctor or anything. I just a kid, Nagumo Haruya. Burn. Soccer can't help Suzuno.

"Godammit," I muttered. Hitomiko glanced in the mirror at me but otherwise remained silent. When we arrived at the blank white walls of the hospital, all I could do was wait. There was nothing I could do. Nothing at all. I sighed and tried to sleep, but jolted everytime I closed my eyes. Suzuno's screams were haunting me. I couldn't just stay and do nothing. Hitomiko and Desarm sat quietly trying to divert their attention, but I could tell they were panicking. Suzuno was like family to all of us. We only had each other.

I was interrupted by my thoughts when I saw the doctor walk to us.

"Suzuno?" I whispherd. Hitomiko stood up.

"What's his condition?" she asked. The doctor sighed.

"His condition is worse than last time he was here." _Last time?_ "But, at the rate things are progressing, I'm afraid even we can't help him now," the doctor said. My breathing stopped. _Suzuno... Was dying?_ _  
_"Let me see him! Please!" I demanded. The doctor looked at Hitomiko and she nodded. The doctor stared for a moment and then walked off. Desarm got up and proceeded to walk to Suzuno's room. Hitomiko and I followed. We entered and I almost cried right then and there. Suzuno laid there in the bed, eyebrows furrowed into a scowl breathing shakily.

"Suzuno..." I heard Desam whispher. He kneeled down. "I can't lose you again. I know we never talked much but things would never be the same without your cold temper or watchful gaze. It just wouldn't work!" Tears were starting to fall. "Please, don't go."

"He's right, you know," Hitomiko said. "We all love you and care for you too much to be unaffected. Don't you dare leave us." Hitomiko glanced at me. "Nagumo..."

"C-Could I talk to him alone?" I asked in a quiet shaky voice. Hitomiko nodded and gestured for Desarm to leave with her. The two left. When I heard the door click, I broke down.

"Suzuno! I'm sorry for everything I said that was mean! I'm sorry for teaseing you all these years! I never even noticed the good things about you. I always looked for the bad things about you so I could attack you. You can't just leave after everything! You just can't..."

Gazelle's POV:

A bright light shined around me. A voice spoke.

_Isn't love a funny thing?_

I don't know. Is it?

_Haven't you ever been loved? Surely, someone must have given you the time._

I'm not sure. I've never really met anyone like me. Plus, the only one who loved me are gone.

_But, someone new came and became your friend. Right?_

I have no friends.

_No friends? That sucks._

It does, doesn't it?

Suddenly, a ball of blue light whooshed around me, and pictures materialized in front of me. I recognized the place. It was my room. I gasped as I saw me, a little me, a little boy. I was hugging a little red toy cat.

 _I had a friend. His name was Aki. I always loved the season of autumn. It was cold and the trees had pretty colors._ _  
_That's right. I had Aki. I never had any real friends but Aki. Suddenly, I kept staring at Aki.

_He reminds you of someone._

No, he couldn't. The red is just really nice and fluffy.

Everything around me darkened. They pounding sound of rain filled my ears. Shouting pierced the empty silence. Then, I saw it, the glowing flash of a silver knife. I felt a tight pain in my chest. Blood suddenly splattered everywhere! The scarlet clouded my eyes.

Stop it! No more! Oh god, please... No more!

_Look beyond._

I opened my eyes. Red was everywhere. Fire and rain. Fire, fire, Burn...

Burn!

_He's waiting. Go._

Wait! Don't go! The figure of the younger me appeared, smiled, and diappeared. White was spreading everywhere.

No! I don't wanna die! Not now! I need Burn! Burn!

"BURN!"


	6. Moonlight

Burn's POV:

"Burn." I looked up. Did Suzuno just speak? I turned the clock. Although it was dark an the only light was that reflectin off the moon, I could tell it was 32 hours after we arrived. Hitomiko and Desarm left. I stayed.

"Suzuno?" I whisphered.

"Burn..." Suzuno sad weakly. My eyes widened.

"Oh my gosh! I'm here Suzuno! I'm here! Come on, stay with me here!" I said frantically. Slowly, those beautiful eyes opened. I smiled and could feel tears falling down my cheek. "Welcome back!" Suzuno smiled.

"Good to be back, Nagumo," he said. "I.... I'm sorry." He suddenly broke into tears. "I'm sorry about everything. I shouldn't have dragged you into my life like I did. I just -" I pulled him into a kiss. Our lips molded against each other into a gentle dance. I pulled back to let him breathe. He looked at me with teary eyes.

"Just shut up. I love you and you love me. The past doesn't matter to me. What matters to me is you. I need you," I said.

"The river flows in me. I'm just a messed up boy living in the past. I just can't let go."

"If that's the case," I started. "Then, the river flows inside me too. I can't stop thinking about my past mistakes. Everything from ignoring you to tormenting you." Suzuno laughed.

"I guess we're both messed up." I smiled.

"Yeah... I guess we are. How about we... Start over? Officially."

"I'd like that." Suzuno slowly sat up and pulled me in. We kissed again and let the moonlight shine on us, the beams lighting a new beginning.

No One's POV:

A man watched through a window into the patient's room where two boys sat, staring into the light of the moon, smiling and whispering.

"You've made a good choice, Suzuno. I'm proud you grew up to find happiness after my mistake," he muttered. The man turned and walked away, a teardrop slipping into the nightly air. Everything would be alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With a short and final close to this little glimpse of fate, I thank you for reading and hope that you hold those dear to you closer than before. We should appreciate those around us even if it brings utter annoyance because life can be taken as easily as it is given. And some of us get lost in our world that we can't see others drowning themselves in their own reality. Even a simple thank you or a hug can make someone's day so I hope you enjoyed this and be on your merry way.


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